Mexican Foodways at the University of Texas
Here’s the press release.
New Speaker Series on History of Mexican Food Begins
Event: “A Brief History of Tamales”
Austin-based food writer Claudia Alarcón will explore the pre-Hispanic origins of the tamal and its continued importance in Mexican cooking and culture today. It is the first talk in a new speaker series called Foodways of Mexico: Past, Present, and Future, which looks at lesser-known aspects of Mexico’s rich culinary tradition.
When: Thursday, November 19, 2009, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
(Reception to follow 7:00-7:30 p.m.)
Where: ATT Education Room, Long Center for the Performing Arts, 701 W. Riverside Dr., Austin, 78704
Background: The Mexican Center of the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS) at the University of Texas has organized a speaker series titled Foodways of Mexico: Past, Present, and Future, which runs November 2009 through November 2010 and looks at lesser-known aspects of Mexico’s rich culinary history, from pre-Columbian times to the present day. The series was curated by Claudia Alarcón, an Austin-based food writer who is a native of Mexico City and has written extensively on foodways topics for a variety of publications, including The Austin Chronicle.
In the first talk of the series, “A Brief History of Tamales,” Alarcón will speak about the central role that tamales have played in Mexican cooking and culture, from their origins among the ancient Mesoamerican cultures that existed in what is today Mexico, to its present-day use as an essential food at celebrations, for the holidays, and at other special events.
The series continues in February 2010 with a talk by Rachel Laudan, a British food historian who has lived for many years in Guanajuato, Mexico, and has written and spoken in depth about the colonial legacy of Mexican food. Her presentation, “Transplanted Cuisines: Migrants in the Making of Mexican Cuisine,” will examine the legacy that disparate migrant communities—including Lebanese, French, and Asian—have contributed to Mexican cooking.
In April 2010, noted cookbook author Diana Kennedy will speak on the “Unknown Gastronomy of Mexico,” looking at the dishes and recipes that are handed down within families from generation to generation, but rarely printed or published.
Foodways of Mexico: Past, Present, and Future will continue in September 2010 with additional speakers to be announced at a later date.
All talks will be followed by a reception and are free and open to the public. The talks by Claudia Alarcón and Rachel Laudan will take place at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Austin. Diana Kennedy’s talk will be held at the Blanton Auditorium on the UT campus.
For more information please contact the Mexican Center at 512.232.2423 or g.sanders@austin.utexas.edu.
Sponsored by the Mexican Center of LLILAS and the Blanton Museum of Art.
Next year the series will continue with a paper by Jeff Pilcher.
Hi Rachel
I just came across your blog and it’s wonderful! I look forward to reading through the archives. I’m from London and heard Diana Kennedy speak for the first time the other week at an event at the British Museum. Her knowledge is incredible. I just wish I lived closed to Mexico!
Hello Harriet, So nice to find someone in England interested in Mexican food. Thanks. And good luck with your blog.
Great about the February talk, Rachel.
Oh how exciting, at first I thought it was at University of Texas Pan Am, we are moving there next week. But Austin is not far from us and so worth the trip to hear Diana Kennedy speak. Thanks for the info. I just came across your blog and quickly bookmarked it, great info.
Rachel, this series sounds just fantastic. Wish I lived closer to Austin, i would attend every one of these. I’ll pass the word to Austin friends.
Betsy